Silicon Investor (SI) -- The First Internet Community

STOCKTALK

We've detected that you're using an ad content blocking browser plug-in or feature. Ads provide a critical source of revenue to the continued operation of Silicon Investor. We ask that you disable ad blocking while on Silicon Investor in the best interests of our community. If you are not using an ad blocker but are still receiving this message, make sure your browser's tracking protection is set to the 'standard' level.

Strategies & Market Trends : LastShadow's Position Trading -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: jjs_ynot who wrote (9364)	3/1/1999 2:53:00 AM
From: AlienTech	Respond to of 43080

>>here is the upshot:<< Well here is the downshot. On Monday, c't, a German technology magazine, revealed that it had found a way to read the serial number of Intel's new Pentium III chip without the owner's knowledge or consent. Ever since privacy advocates raised an alarm about the new chips' serial numbers, which can be read by Web sites, Intel has assured the public that Pentium III owners would be able to use a software tool to turn the feature off and on and protect their privacy. But c't's chip specialist, Andreas Stiller, found a way around Intel's safeguard. Stiller loaded an Active X "Trojan horse" (a disguised, malicious security breaking program) onto a remote PC over the Internet. He then circumvented Intel's software tool by abusing a feature called Advanced Configuration and Power Interface (ACPI) -- a power-conservation standard created by Intel, Compaq and Microsoft. "I switched the computer into 'Deep Sleep' mode, and rebooted the machine, then read the serial number before Intel's software tool was started," says Stiller. The problem, it seems, is that the processor's serial number is in the "on" position by default; it's only Intel's software that blocks the number. Seth Walker, a spokesman for Intel, responds: "Don't think of it that way. The number is just there, it's not 'on.'" In fairness to Intel, if someone manages to load a "Trojan horse" on your computer, then access to the chip's serial number is probably the least of your worries. Still, the report won't make Intel's job any easier as it tries to dispel fears and reassure PC users that their personal information is safe from prying eyes. What can users do to protect their privacy? Intel is not just providing the software tool but also advising computer manufacturers to switch the serial number off in the BIOS (the first software instructions a computer loads when it boots up). The proud owners of new Pentium III PCs can then enable the serial number function using a custom piece of software from the manufacturer. But not all manufacturers will disable the serial number in BIOS, and once enabled it will be very difficult to turn off. Finally, Intel's Walker says, "We also advise users to choose carefully which Web sites they spend their time on." When it comes to privacy, it sounds like Intel's stance is "caveat surfer." The company has vowed that it will not be keeping a database of the serial numbers -- although Intel vice president Mike Aymar admits that "we may be able to tell approximately when and therefore to whom the processor was sold." So why did Intel introduce the serial number in the first place? To help corporations track and manage their PC inventory, and to provide another level of security for online banking and e-commerce applications. Banks will be able to use the serial number, together with user names and passwords, to verify an individual's identity. Privacy groups such as the Electronic Privacy Information Center believe that the U.S. government had a hand in Intel's decision. "We have repeatedly asked Intel if the NSA or the FBI requested them to include the serial number," says Dave Banisar, policy director for EPIC. "Their only response is that their largest customers have requested the serial number." Of course, Banisar points out, the U.S GOVERNMENT IS ONE OF INTELS BIGGEST CUSTOMERS -- Niall McKay